Tokyo , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Change a few circumstances in her life and Sakie Fukushima says she would have been a housewife . She was raised to be a good Japanese wife and homemaker , after all . That 's what was expected of women of her generation -- to sit behind their men , make their bentos , iron their shirts and watch them rise to lead Japan 's economy .

Life did not go as Fukushima expected .

60-year-old Fukushima is one of Japan 's most powerful executives , sitting on the board of both U.S. and Japanese-based multi-national companies . The fact that she is a female in one of the most male-dominated business cultures is a stunning backstory in one woman 's remarkable ascent through the so-called `` bamboo ceiling . '' Bamboo bends , and unlike glass , never breaks . But Fukushima managed to crack through , by working for a U.S. company .

`` I was lucky to be in a place where the hard work was appreciated , '' said Fukushima , of her corporate beginnings at Korn-Ferry International . The American company saw her sales output , the highest in the Asia-Pacific region , as the reason for promotion .

An American mentor and her supportive husband urged Fukushima to push beyond her Japanese cultural expectations .

`` If I was to work for a Japanese company , a large Japanese company , I do n't think I would have come this far . ''

The World Economic Forum 's Global Gender Gap Index ranks Japan 101 out of 134 countries . Part of the reason for the low ranking is that just 1.4 percent of Japanese executives are women .

What that has meant for women in the workplace is they are pushed to traditionally female roles : secretary and store clerk . It is a dismal reality for the world 's second-largest economy , said Beth Brooke , Ernst and Young 's Global vice chairwoman and a Forbes Magazine 100 most powerful woman .

`` Japan is a very homogeneous society . So on the spectrum of diversity , not just gender ; it is more difficult to embrace diversity because it 's not a terribly diverse culture to begin with . ''

Ironically , Brooke believes the global economic slowdown and Japan 's aging population is a chance to rediscover the people under-utilized in the workforce .

`` I think we have an opportunity to change the conversation here . Whether you 're a country or a company , you need growth . Japan has an enormous opportunity , frankly , to see the opportunity to spark innovation through a gender lens of diversity . I think gender diversity is a big part of the solution . ''

Fukushima agreed , as she celebrates her recent appointment to the Bridgestone Corporation board . She is the first female to be elected to the Japanese company 's boardroom .

`` Experimenting is the best way to say it , '' said Fukushima , describing Japan 's corporate sentiment toward women . `` They know they have to have diversity but they do n't know how to do it and how to use it effectively . As a result of increasing competition outside of Japan from China and Korea , the Japanese business community has realized it has to change . They ca n't rely on the past successful model of the 1970s and '80s . They will have to increase diversity , change the way of doing business in order to compete . ''

Fukushima 's new colleague , Bridgestone Americas , Inc. . CEO and President Gary Garfield , said he is encouraged that his company in Japan is catching up to other global companies .

He calls having a female on the board a no-brainer . His advice to Japanese companies : `` Just branch out and do it . They 'll be stronger for it . I think they 'll be better companies for it . ''

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1.4 percent of Japanese executives are women

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Women in Japan are pushed to traditionally female roles

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Leading businesswoman thinks Japan may be ready for a change

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First woman on board : Corporate Japan wants to change ; does n't know how